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14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?The 100 most repeated chord transitions extracted from thousands of songs. Even the first 10 will transform your guitar practice routine.

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Helplessly Hoping Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsAm, C, G, D, Dm
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

AmCGD
AmHelplesslyhopingherCharlequinhovers Gnearby,
awaitingaDword.
AmGaspingatglimpsesofCgentletruespirit,
heGrunswishinghecouldDfly,
onlytoAmtripattheCsoundof Ggoodbye
AmWordlesslywatchingheCwaitsbythewindow
andGwondersattheemptyplace Dinside
AmHeartlesslyhelping Chimselftoherbaddreams
heGworriesdidheheara Dgoodbye,
orAmevenChello?C
TheyareGoneperson,theyaretwo Galone,
theyareGthreetogether,
theyareGforDmeachCother
AmStandbythestairwayyou’llCsee
SomethingcertaintoGtellyou
confusionhasitsDcost.
AmLoveisn’tlying,it’sClooseinaladywhoGlingers,
sayingsheisDlostandAmchokingCon Ghello.C
TheyareGoneperson,theyaretwo Galone,
theyareGthreetogether,
theyareGforDmeachCother
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistCrosby, Stills & Nash
AlbumCrosby, Stills & Nash
GenresFolk Rock
Year1969
KeyAm
DifficultyEasy

How to play Helplessly Hoping on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Helplessly Hoping on guitar requires 5 chords and 7 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

Helplessly Hoping uses these transitions most often: C → G (12), Am → C (10), and D → Am (7). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with Am - C chord transition.

1. Am → C chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

Here's how to move from Am to C:

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the intro, played 10 times.

Am to C

2. C → G chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

Here's how to move from C to G:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the intro, played 12 times.

C to G

3. G → D chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

To move from G to D:

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to E string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the intro, played 7 times.

G to D

4. D → Am chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram

To move from D to Am:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

D to Am

5. G → Am chord transition

To move from G to Am:

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse.

6. G → Dm chord transition

To move from G to Dm:

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

7. Dm → C chord transition

Here's how to move from Dm to C:

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

Helplessly Hoping chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Helplessly Hoping.

  • Helplessly Hoping includes 44 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Helplessly Hoping contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Helplessly Hoping connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → D: 24%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → Am: 10%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.